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Thursday, 19 November 2015

Three weeks, one post

Hello,

as per my previous post, I will remind you once again that the last three weeks have been a bit slakey. I have an unhealthy desire for drinking beer as it is, so lets just say that the period described has been mightily refreshing and dangerously scaturient. Just how I like it. Not how I like to be when it comes to remembering ting alas. Despite this aqueous handicap, am going to try and remember some stuff from the period and write it down. Good luck to you, dear readers, in finding any actual facts uin the following....

It all started with Tickle's birthday. Me and Tash and Matt met briefly in the Tap and Tankard to wrap present and had a pint each of a flavoured beer and some Pale Rider. We ate at Agraah and I drank a keg beer which I think is brewed in the UK and begins with B before we went to the Grapes. Excellent pints of Moonshine were had, along with the company of Mr Shumski before those remaining went to Shakespeares for last ones.

I have been to the Three Tuns twice recently as well. Both times I had excellent pints (many) of the Blue Bee Little and Large IPA. Each tome there has been a jolly chap called Nathan working behind the bar. Unfortunately I decided to have an "joke" with him last time and may have looked like a twat. Sorry Nathan....

The Bath Hotel let me down slightly on the first Monday as it was Thornbridge only on cask - Gah! Luckily they had the Cloudwater Farmhouse IPA on keg at 6.5% which is much more my strength. Earlier myself and Middlemarch had been to Shakespeares where we had enjoyed, amongst a few, halves of the sour Berliner Weiss from Siren, maybe called Calypso, and also had popped in the Ship for a couple of pints of beer.It was the quietest I've ever seen it, although it was 19.00 on a Monday.

Other Bath visits saw us drinking Jaipur and the excellent Anarchy Brew Co Sublime Chaos breakfast stout at 7% or more, as well as trying Jaipur X which is 10%. It was once again busy, which lets face it is great news. After WK had left is we headed once again to Shakespeares to enjoy some delicious keg including something from Anspatch and of course, the amazing Cloudwater Drink Fresh Special IPA on cask - one of the beers of the month by a long stretch.

A quick trip to the Closed Shop and Hallamshire House found excellent hoppy Blue Bee - I can't recall which but I think the description is most likely right - at the Shop, and a Blackjack beer at the Hallamshire House. Initially I could only afford a half of one of the Thornbridge beers but luckily the card machine was fixed in time for me to splash out.

A trip out on Bonfire night found us in the Fat Cat supping a hoppy red ale in real glasses whilst enjoying he fireworks and lovely BBQ hot dogs and burgers in the yard. One thing I will say is the Cat really know how to do bonfire night! Good to bump into Rolla Coley's friend Michaela behind the bar for her second shift - I imagine it got very busy.....

A wander round the corner saw us have a couple of pints sat in the beer garden at the KIT. I know we had something strong and hoppy, and am willing to bet it was a Blue Bee beer. Lovely place to sit and watch and listen to the fireworks, as was Shakespeares once again, where we very likely had the To Ol Final Frontier double IPA at 9.6% on keg to, erm, yer know, finish.

Two Sundays ago we went for a lovely walk in South Anston in Little Stones wood - we finished off with a pint in the Loyal Trooper. Still selling four real ales, the only disappointment is that they have refurbished it (I haven't been for at least five years...!) and the new decor seems very out of place in the grand old building.

Finally, a couple of visits to the Devpnshire Cat and the Portland House have occurred, with the Cat winning points for the excellent Instant Karma Black IPA and the Abbeydale beer of the same style (but stronger). The Portland is a decent walk form the Cat, and we have done this twice now. I like the place but am not so sure about their claim to sell three traditional Welbeck beers with the three guests providing more hoppy fare. The Waen Monkey Spanner was lovely, as was the Liquid Mistress from Siren on keg (although £5.50 for a pint is steep), however the Saltaire Hopfen was awful. Luckily, excellent Wateralls pies and lovely pickle jars compensate - its just not the Walkley Beer Co.

Apologies once more then to anyone I forgot or any places I neglected to mention. More posts are to follow I promise!

About Me

I love pubs, especially unspoilt ones, and love real ale, I spend a lot of time travelling the UK, often trying to visit National Inventory pubs in whichever region I am visiting. I like writing my blog now I know a little more about using it, I love photography and recording my travels, and the subtle nuances of pub and bar and kafenion interiors. I like visiting Crete and Scotland whenever I can - both locations share the same wind - and offer different types of harsh weather. I dislike hairy men from Leeds who hate Sheffield precisely beause of its former and no longer true by any stretch of the imagination moniker of socialist republic, especially when they are supposed to represent the poor and the downtrodden - you know who I am talking about fat boy. I also like empty spaces, curried mince on rice from the past, the show Absolutely from C4 in the 90's, and cats (feline creatures, not a show).